Radiant heater



sept. 29,1925. 1,555,211

y O. A. COLBXY RADIANT HEATER 511611 may 19, 1923 A111111111555155; INVENToR y BY A 1 A oRNEY ora/q. ca/by.

Patented Sept. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES l,5i5,271 PATENT OFFICE.

ORA A. COLBY, OF IRWIN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A

CORPCRATIGN OF PENNSYLVANIA.

RADIANT HEATER.

Application filed Maly 19,

To all Iw/lzom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GRA A. Conny, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Irwin, in the county of lVestmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Radiant Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrically heated devices, and particularly to radiant electric air heaters. n

One object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple and compact electric air heater comprising a plurality of radiant heating elements.

Another object of my invention is to provide an electric air heater of relatively large capacity comprisingl a plurality of radiant heating elements distributed substantially uniformly over the front of a reflector plate. y

Another object of my invention is to provide an electric air heater comprising a plurality of radiant heating elements of twisted flattened helices of resistor wire suspended in festoons in front of a reflector plate.

ln practicing my invention, l provide a casing in which is located a reflector plate of refractory electric-insulating material having a plurality of spaced rows of inte- `gra-l, spaced, and relatively small lugs on its front surface. A plurality of heating elements, each comprising` a twisted flattened helix of a resistor' conductor yare supported in the form of festoons from and between adjacent pairs of lugs.

In the single sheet of drawings,

Figure 1 is a View, in front elevation, of au electric air heater embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view, in vertical section, taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, infront elevation, of a part of a heating element embodying my invention.

An electric air heater 11 comprises a casing 12 that may be built up in any suitable or desired manner either by the use of sheet metal members or by the use of suitable castings to constitute a casing of pleasing and ornamental appearance.

The casing 12 is mounted on a suit-able base 13 having integral supporting members 14. A top or cover member 15 is provided that may be made removable to permit of mounting the other parts of the electric 1923. Serial No. 640,047.

heater within the casing. The front of the casing is provided with a depressed portion 16 having a front opening 17 therein. An ornamental and protective grating 18 comprises a plurality of rods or wires extending' substantially at right angles to each other, the upper ends of the vertically` eX- tending rods litting loosely into spaced openings 19 in the upper part of the depressed portion 16 and the lower ends of the vertically extending rods fitting kinto openings 21 in the lower part of the depressed portion 16. A rod 22 is secured to the lower end of the vertically extending rods and it holds the grating 18 in substantially the position illustratedin F ig. 2 of the drawing after the saine has been placed in its proper operative position by artilting and lateral movement thereof.

A reflector plate 23 of 'a suitable electricinsulating material, which is mount-ed in the casing 12 in back of the opening 17, may be supported in any suitable 0r desired manner within the easing, as by being mounted on a plate 24 extending across the casing 12 below the opening 17. TheV plate 23 is pro-` vided with a plurality of spaced rows of integral, spaced lugs 25 that are severally provided with an opening 26 extending therethrough, and also extending through the plate 2 o A plurality of individual heating elements 27 are suspended in the form of festoons between two adjacent and horizontally-spaced lugs 25 by their ends which eX- tend through theopenings 26 to the baclr of the reflector plate. Each .ofthe elements 27 comprises a twisted flattened helix, of a suitable` resistor, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing, in which only a part of an individual heating element is illustrated.

Any desired number of heating elements 27 may be provided in front of the reflector plate 23, the number of integral lugs 25 eX- tending in a substantially horizontal row across the front of the plate, being one greater than the number of individual heating elements 27 supported. thereby.

Any desired number of lugs and of festoons of heating elements may be provided and I have shown four festoons in horizontal row, connected in series circuit relation relatively to each other ,and four sets of said rows.

Bus bars28 andQQ may be provided within the casingr adjacent each side thereof, to which the sets of heating elements 2.7 are connected in series circuit relation relatively to each other may be connected. 1tis understood, ofcourse, that the adjacent ends 0f the heating elements 27 intermediate the outer elements are electrically connected to each other by any suitable or' desiied'ineans.

yA controlling switch 31 is mounted on a plate' 32 of a suitable elect-ric-insulatingq material' that is secu'redaga'inst the side of the casing/,l` screwsv Contact terminal p'ins are also mounted on the face plate 32 and thebus'barfs. The terminal pins and controllingswitclare so connected tl at the switch 31 may be employed tocontrol the energ'ization of the heatingV elements.

VV'hile I have illustrated particular embodiments ofthe control device, l do not desire" to be limited thereto, as an electric air heater of .the type disclosed and cescribe'd' in this application may have associated' therewith a control system of tl e kind described and claimed in co-pendine; application of Victor G. Vaughan, Serial No.'6'-11,054, file'd'May 2st, 1923, and assi j'ned to the \Vest1n,gfh'ousev Electric e3; Maiuifacturing Companyl (c'ase' 10399).

The device embodying my invention provides an electric a'ir heater that has reatively few parts and that may be builtto comprise sufficient heating elenients to hare a relatively large heat-translating capacity. The form of the indriyidual heating elements is such as to presentL a pleasingappearance when they are traversed by a sufficient electric current to 'cause them to become substantially'incandescent' and their forin when suspended, viz. that' of festdons, further acoentuates the pleasing` appearance thereof.

The heating elements are distributed substantially uniformly over the front of the reflector plate, thereby insuring uniform heating' of the individual heating` elements and aA maximum' efliciency of radiation of heat therefrom.

Various modifications and changes maj," be made Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall he placed thereon as are imposed by 'he prior art or are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electric heater comjnfisingi a reilector plate of refractory electric-iinsulating material., and a plurality of individual heating;` elements hung in festoons in front of said plate.

2. in electric heater coinprisii 1,' a reflector plate of refractory electric 'nsulating material having` a plurality of spaced in tegjral lugs projecting from one surface thereof, and a plurality individual in;` elements supported respectively from pairs of lugs in front of said plate.

3. ln an electric heater, in combination, a reflector plate of refractory electric-insulatingr` material, and a heating element comprising a twisted, flattened; helix of resistor .vire.

t. An electric air heater comprisinga rcl'lector plate of refractory electric-insulatini; material haring; a plurality of spaced, in-

lugs projecting from one surface tegrar thereof, and a plurality of heating-g' elements supported by adjacent pairs of said lugs and each comprising' a twiffeted, flattened helix of a resistor conductor.

2in electric air heater con'rprisinp; a relflector plate of refractory electric-iiisulating material having a p'hu'ality of rows of spaced, integral lugs on one surface thereof, and a plurality of heatingl elements each comprising a twisted, flattened helix of a resistor conductor, each liariiigz,- its ends .located in said lugs and having a length greater than the distance between adjacent lugs.

ln testimony whereof, 1 have hereunto subscribed my name this 153th day of May, 1923.

ORA A. COLBY. 

